The temperature is set too high

A refrigerator is super handy, and we couldn’t live without one. None of us escape the occasional spoiled product, though, which we then throw out. Such a waste! It turns out that 75 percent of us are running our fridges at a temperature that’s too high. This doesn’t just lead to food waste, but also potentially to food poisoning!

Food poisoning
Keeping your food at the proper temperature doesn’t just prevent your food from spoiling, it can also reduce your chances of food poisoning. Food products naturally contain bacteria that could cause diseases. Refrigerating these products makes sure there aren’t too many of those bacteria in your food. But you do need the right temperature for that!

Right temperature
The optimum temperature for your kitchen refrigerator lies between 0 and 4 degrees Celsius. Fungi and bacteria hardly get the chance to grow at these temperatures. Research has shown that loads of people aren’t even aware of the temperature of their fridge and that some fridges are as warm as 11 degrees Celsius. Listeria, which is food poisoning bacterium, grows at temperature about 5 degrees Celsius, so 11 degrees is much too high!

Full fridge
We all like a well-stocked refrigerator, but you might want to tone it down on the groceries. It becomes harder to keep your fridge cool when you’ve got more stuff in it. If you do need all the space in your fridge and it’s completely full, we recommend turning the temperature down by one degree. The best option is to make sure your refrigerator is around three-quarters full at all times. This way, the cold air can circulate completely freely.

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